Severa inherited little from Cordelia, two things she could name off the bat: A weighty legacy and love for sweets, but that seemed to be the general criterion for being human, so she needed another second thing, just in case: Sighing. She sighed a total of twenty-four times today.
Severa leaned back and sighed, "Better make that twenty-five." she decided.
"Uh-oh, you inherited that from me?" Cordelia inquired, sitting next to her daughter.
"Not like it matters, I'm just bored."
"I'd recognize that sigh anywhere, Severa." Cordelia pointed out, "It is mine, after all...you know you can talk to me about it, right?"
"Talk about what? The fact that the love of my life doesn't notice me? How I'm constantly standing there...a-and she doesn't even...instead she's backing a cake for Owain." Severa snarled at the thought, then remembered her mother was there, "S-so it's nothing, I'll get over it."
"That's what I thought, until you father walked up to me one day and realized he was in love with his bodyguard," Cordelia was retelling the same story for the hundredth time, but she didn't care, if Severa would let her get away with it, then she'd tell it a hundred times more, "and then you and your sister came along."
"You sure I have the Brand of the Exalt? I mean, Owain's took time to surface, but Lucina's was there at birth, right?"
"Right, but I think your birthmark might be behind your ear."
"Or it could be on my brain." Severa retorted.
"Anyways, you should go talk to Noire, maybe it's a misunderstanding."
"I don't know," Severa sighed, "this is probably just her way of e-express..ugh, I can't even say it!"
"That is strange, how words can be so deeply affected by our feelings." Cordelia stared up at the ceiling of the tent and took a deep breath, that was twenty-six."
"I know...I'm pathetic...but here comes twenty-seven." Cordelia sighed as well, as they sat together in the supply tent.
Severa stepped outside to find Owain helping Noire climb up into a horse's saddle, and the blue haired hero turned around and went back inside, "Nope, he's helping her onto a horse...they keep spending all the time together, I feel like...like I'm being replaced!" Severa started to kick a rock, but bent forward and pressed down on her knee.
"But it's just cake and horses, this could mean anything!" Cordelia thought of something it could be and smiled, "For instance, this is Owain we're talking about, he won't remember telling Noire what his favorite cake is, so on his birthday he'll be surprised...and probably freaked out, and as for horses...again, it's Owain, he probably convinced her to take up the task of a bow knight for the purpose of combat!"
"Mother, please, this is Noire we're talking about, she doesn't do something without a good reason, birthdays are a one time thing, and being a bow knight is much tougher than it looks, besides, we've discussed this before, she just started up as an assassin, and says she wants to try being a sniper next." Severa crossed her arms and huffed, "It's not like it's her fault, though...she never talked with me about Owain, though, as her best friend, I can tell you that's not normal."
"Well, who knows?" Cordelia shrugged, "Besides Noire, I mean."
"I'm not asking Owain...I guess I'm asking Noire." Severa turned around and winced.
"Dreading it, huh? I could go with-"
"No...this is something I have to face myself." Severa shook her head, "You'd think I was going to my execution or something."
Severa stared at Noire, up on the horse, a basket on the horse's saddle, "H-hey, Noire, how's it going?"
"Ah, Severa, what are you doing here?" Noire asked, looking mildly uncomfortable.
"Oh, you know...just...wanted to...you know...s-so why do you look like you got caught with your hand in a cookie jar, anyway?!" Severa erupted, running from scared to irritated.
"O-oh, well...that's actually what I can't tell you, Owain-"
"Argh! Owain this, Owain that!" Severa shook now, trembling, but with fear or angry, she couldn't say, it could have been heartburn for all she knew.
"Severa?" Noire whispered fearfully.
"Noire...I'm sorry...look, if you want to bake cakes for Owain, that's fine, go on picnics with him, fine! It's all fine!" Severa cried, yelling at the mounted archer she became the center of attention, just like she always dreaded, "It's just weird, usually you talk to me about lots of stuff, so for you to not talk about you and Owain...is weird, a-and I admit I'm a bit jealous...no, very, very jealous...and a bit hurt that this didn't come up yet...but it's fine, I'm happy for you, making a big decision by yourself...I'm even a little proud of you, if that makes any sense...but I'm scared...I guess I always knew the day would come when you didn't need me...I guess if my...dream came true, that day would come, but you'd want to stay near me anyways!"
"Severa." Noire sighed, when Severa continued.
"I'm not done yet!" Severa screeched, surprised and embarrassed by her own tone, "S-sorry...I'm just struggling with this...I want to tell you...I don't care that it's too late, and I might have done things differently, if just to make it more obvious...or obvious at all, but I love you, Noire, I love you. Look, if you like Owain, that's great...I'm happy for you, just please visit every now and then? O-okay, I'm done now." Severa turned away and noticed all the stares, then returned her attention to Noire, "And I'm sorry for putting you on the spot like that...s-so, sorry!"
Severa ran and, but Noire quickly caught up with her, "Well I'm not done yet!" Noire swept Severa up with one arm, surprising everyone present.
"H-huh?!" Severa screamed, holding onto Noire, "Noire, what's going on?"
"T-this isn't for Owain...I...I've been...foolish mortal! All this time I have been experimenting on Owain with my baked goods and confections! Ha, ha, ha, I've raised my abilities to a lethal level, where one bite could stun an army of demons and send them all back to Grima, ha, ha, ha! All for the purpose of surprising you and sweeping you off your feet, and then taking you out to a nearby meadow Owain's been scouting for the purpose of a picnic! U-uh," Noire let her pendant out of her grasp and continued, "i-if you were interested in that sort of thing."
"Oh...Noire...s-so you...holding me bridal style, on horseback...with a picnic basket-"
"I love you, Severa." Noire confirmed, "a-and, if you...were interested...y-you seem interested, too! S-so, will you, you know...g-go out with me?"
"Yes...but if you drop me, we're going to have problems." Severa warned, joking and escaping the awkwardness she felt at being in the spotlight of the real life romance that'd taken place in the camp's midst."
"I would expect nothing less, Severa." Noire smiled at Severa, and suddenly the Brand of the Exalt emerged between Severa's right earlobe and jaw, "Princess Severa." she corrected, tracing the mark that had appeared.
"Next time don't try to surprise me like this, though!" Severa felt her face warming up more than she cared for, and yelling seemed to make it better.
"There is no next time," Noire replied, the stared intently at Severa, "there is no next time! If I see anyone even looking at Severa for half a second too long, then I will visit pain and despair upon you! Severa's mine now, mine I say! O-oh, sorry." Noire stared at Severa and started to lean forward, but got scared and started to lean back when, Severa touched her face and leaned up. The camp cheered at the novelty of a horseback bridal style kiss, and the pair was suddenly aware of being in the spotlight again, "Should we go now?"585Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡa9VwIxAeEj
"Let's." Severa nodded, and they rode off towards the meadow, into the sunset, while Owain shouted something they vaguely heard.
"It was an honor to serve as you guinea pig, Noire!" Owain turned to the other children from the future, "Though I think I had much too much sugar, but what do you guys-"
Nah knocked him down with a powerful punch despite her height, and Laurent smiled as he adjusted his glasses, "Many thanks, Nah, I had feared he'd go on all day."
"Well, now what?" Kjelle inquired.
"Take this matchmaker to the medical tent," Nah decided, "he saved the rest of the cake up so he could eat it all in one day, that can't be good for him."
"Right, I'll handle this part." Gerome hoisted Owain and tossed him onto his shoulder like he was nothing.
A/Ns: The Severa's-a-princess part was spontaneous, huh? That's really all I have to note for this.585Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4dJs9BVxWw
